The present invention relates generally to a method of manufacturing an electrical slip ring assembly and to an electrical slip ring apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus of constructing an electrical slip ring assembly using a plurality of spaced apart comb-like structures for supporting multiple electrically conductive slip rings.
Electrical slip rings are well known devices for communicating electrical signals from one structural member to another where one of the structural members is rotatable with respect to the other. Such a slip ring assembly, for example, may comprise a relatively stationary annular base member which has a plurality of conductive rings extending around an outer circumferential face thereof. Each of the rings extends around a substantial portion of the circumference of the slip ring base. A series of electrically conductive brushes are arranged on a relatively rotatable structural member to rotate about the slip ring base, and each of the brushes is arranged to contact a surface of one of the conductive rings thereby forming a series of electrical connections between the two structural members.
Heretofore, the methods of manufacturing slip ring bases of the type discussed herein above have included either molding the conductive rings as a part of the base while the base itself is being molded or plating the conductive rings into previously completed slip ring bases having grooves formed therein for the conductive rings. Both techniques require expensive tooling and machining operations which are now proving to be prohibitively expensive.
In connection with the molding process mentioned above, it is necessary that conductive rings be positioned within a mold so that, for example, epoxy can be cast around the rings to produce the slip ring base. Expensive tooling is required to support and maintain the rings at the proper position as the molding process is carried out. These rings are then plated, once the molding process has been completed, and this requires additional tooling. Using this technique, if the casted epoxy happens to have voids or otherwise does not properly bond to the conductive ring materials, it is not unusual to find that plating solutions can be trapped in the epoxy or around the rings. After a short period of use of the slip ring, these solutions can migrate to the ring surfaces and cause excessive wear and intermittent electrical contact problems.
Using those techniques where plating occurs after molding, it is not unusual to find that the plating does not adhere properly to the base member. In this event, the conductive rings must be removed, remachined and replated. It can readily be seen that these will be expensive and time consuming operations. In many cases it is not possible to repair the damage and at least the entire slip ring based must be discarded. This loss is a significant one.
A prior art method for manufacturing an electrical slip ring is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,189 to Bowman et al. (hereinafter xe2x80x9cthe ""189 patentxe2x80x9d, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod of Manufacturing An Electrical Slip Ring Assemblyxe2x80x9d. The difficulty with the method described in the ""189 patent is that there is expensive tooling and machining required to fabricate the electrical slip ring assembly. More specifically, the annular base member 10 in the ""189 patent, grooves 12 and 16 are machined and conductive strips 12 are placed therein. Further, rolling the conductive rings 12 into the grooves 12 and 16 is time consuming and expensive. Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a method and apparatus which overcomes the need for expensive tooling and machining and reduces manufacturing as compared to current electrical slip ring manufacturing methods.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an electrical slip ring assembly which does not require expensive tooling and machining to fabricate the assembly and reduces manufacturing costs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrical slip ring assembly which eliminates the need for an annular base member.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of comb-like structures which support a plurality of electrically conductive slip rings.
The present invention is directed to an electrical slip ring assembly having a plurality of conductive rings held in place by multiple spaced apart comb-like structures advantageously eliminates the need for molding the conductive rings as part of the base or plating the conductive rings into completed bases. Further, the present invention eliminates the need to machine an annular base or perform expensive and time consuming operations to roll conductive strips into a machined base member.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an electrical slip ring assembly. The electrical slip ring assembly includes a first plurality of annular conductive rings spaced from each other and a second plurality of circumferentially spaced electrically non-conductive support structures. The non-conductive support structures each have inwardly extending slots. The first plurality of conductive rings are each mounted in the inwardly extending slots in one of each of the second plurality of support structures such that each of conductive rings is spaced from adjacent ones of the conductive rings.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an electrical slip ring assembly. The electrical slip ring assembly includes a first plurality of annular conductive rings spaced from each other and a second plurality of circumferentially spaced electrically non-conductive support structures. The non-conductive support structures each have inwardly extending slots. The first plurality of conductive rings are each mounted in the inwardly extending slots in one of each of the second plurality of support structures such that each of conductive rings is spaced from adjacent ones of the conductive rings. The conductive rings are vertically spaced from each other when mounted to the second plurality of support structures.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an electrical slip ring assembly. The electrical slip ring assembly includes a first plurality of annular conductive rings spaced from each other and a second plurality of circumferentially spaced electrically non-conductive support structures. The non-conductive support structures each have inwardly extending slots. The first plurality of conductive rings are each mounted in the inwardly extending slots in one of each of the second plurality of support structures such that each of conductive rings is spaced from adjacent ones of the conductive rings. The conductive rings are horizontally spaced from each other when mounted to the second plurality of support structures.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description thereof are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.